


AG, for Angus

by The_Degu



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angus is blupjeans baby, Families of Choice, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Families, Gen, Memory Loss, Silver Dragon Angus, dragon Angus, true polymorph plus memory loss equal a dragon that doesn't know it is a dragon, why not both
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 03:33:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15088091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Degu/pseuds/The_Degu
Summary: Angus knows a few things about himself.He likes shiny things, he prefers sleeping on top of all of his belongings rather than a bed, he is smarter than most kids his age, and he doesn’t know his parents.Or: Lup finds a wyrmling while out and gets a son out of the deal





	1. You found a What While You Were out!?!?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: cleaned things up a little

 

Lup wanders through the market eyeing the miscellaneous vendors throughout the complex.  While this place does not seem to be the most lawful of markets, it might just be what she needs.  Barry walks next to her scouting for a buyer like Lup. She feels his fingers twitch nervously against her hand. Lup knows that he doesn’t like being in possession of his own relic let alone two of them, but they both know that having the items in the Secret Chest rather than being carried on their persons.

The large quad is filled with vendors and stores, is noisy and hot, even by Lup's standards. Although it is nice to get out of the Starblaster for a bit and experience the culture of this world.

Lup feels Barry stop walking. She glances over and sees that he is looking something at intently. She asks, “find something babe?”

When Barry doesn't answer Lup looks over to where he is staining. She feels a pull at her heart. 

It is a large rust-colored tent, a large table sits just outside of the fabric, but lup can see inside enough to know what is going on.  there are more than a dozen rare beasts and Monstrosities locked in much-too-small cages. There are also horns; Pelts scales stacked on every surface of the small shop. Then on the front table, there is a sign listing prices for the different animals and optional butchering.

Lup takes a deep breath then interlaces her fingers with Barry’s, and tugs him down the quad. They both know that it is better to just leave it.  

They make it a few steps before they hear the screech of some sort of animal come from the tent. But it isn't as animalistic as the rest, still not that of a humanoid but something in-between. Lup knows she should not look, she knows she will do something dumb if she looks. So what does she do?

Lup looks over her shoulder at the tent and immediately feels the magic crackle at her fingertips.  The man running the stand is holding a fucking baby dragon around the back of its neck. The wyrmling is barely larger than a cat and hangs limply in the man's grasp.  If it wasn’t for its quick breath and it scared eyes flashing around the marketplace, Lup would have thought it was already dead. The vendor is showing the wyrmling to a person in a dark purple hood. He makes gestures along the dragon’s body as if he is showing the best way to skin it.

In one swift motion of her umbrastaff, a bead of bright red light flashes at the tip, and in a split second the vendor engulfed in flames. The buyer is scorched but left alive, and the dragon is dropped but most likely unharmed.  The hundreds of people out doing their shopping run and scream as the blast strike through the quad, but barry and Lup make their way through the trampling feet easy enough.

Both Lup and Barry make a break for the tent. It is hot and humid inside. It smells of urine and decay. And it is filled with the sound of screeching animals.

 The wyrmling hasn’t moved from where it was dropped; it is laying on its side, its breaths hard and fast. Lup hears Barry casting knock and freeing the caged beasts as Lup kneels next to the dragon.

Lup only hesitates for a second before scooping up the dragon. She holds it firmly to her chest, and the little dragon only struggles for a moment before giving up.  Lup feels how warm it is, she isn’t too familiar with dragons, but she knows enough that this little thing is not acting right.

Lup holds the dragon under one arm and the umbrastaff in her other hand. Barry finishes letting the last of the beasts out of their cages, and They both dart out of the tent. They see the guards dashing towards them, their weapons drawn. 

Lup and barry don't need to speak, they both know what to do. Lup quickly casts Wall of flame while Barry casts Fly on both of them. Lup hears yelling on the other side of the fire but does not care about what they are saying.

They get out of the city easy enough, only getting shot at a few times, and are back at the starblaster in the hour.  Lup tries not to look at the dragon; it has gone completely limp in her grasp. She does shift it though as her and barry land on the deck of the Starblaster.

“is it alive?” Barry asks. Lup shifts her grip slightly giving Barry a clear view of the dragon. It slips further into her arms when Barry tries to look at it closer. 

As Lup and Barry take a moment to breathe, Lup has the time to look at the dragon a little more.  It is more of an ocean blue than a true silver right now. Though the shine of its scales and the shape of its body makes it easy to see that it is indeed a silver wyrmling.

Lup hears the large door open to the deck and the many pairs of feet storm towards them. She does not look at her crewmates right now; she does not want to start those arguments while the dragon is still dying in her arms. Barry seems to be in the same mindset as he gently runs his hands over the dragon’s scales.

“it’s way too hot.” Barry says “uh, can you put it down on the deck, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Lup trusts Barry enough to know that he knows what he is doing. She sets the dragon gently down on the deck. It doesn’t even try to stand up now. The only movement it is making are quick feather-lite breaths, and its eyes rolling behind its eyelids. Barry quickly mutters an incantation, and a line of frosty air comes from his hand.  Ice gathers on the metal deck around the dragon as its breathing slows, and its body relaxes some.  Lup feels a spike of dread as it stills, but the anxiety quickly dies when she sees that the dragon is just resting now.

“what the hell did you do?” Davenport’s voice fills the open air, his annoyance very apparent.

“we un, didn’t find a place to sell our relics,” Barry says rubbing the back of his neck. “we, kind of got distracted.”

* * *

 

An hour of arguments, two hours of gathering materials and ten minutes of changing one of the bathrooms of the starblaster into a shambled together dragon nursery; later, the Starblaster crew are ready as they can be for the new arrival. There is an enchanted icepack laying in the bathtub. All of everything has been taken out from under the sink. Toilet lid closed, and the water to the bathroom has been turned off (“we don’t need our pipes to freeze!”).

Lup sits in the bathroom the small dragon laying on an ice pack on her lap. Her back is pressed up against the counter and her feet up against the bathtub.  She runs her fingers over the fin that runs from between the dragon’s horns then down its neck. It is still sleeping deeply; it has only shifted once or twice to get more comfortable since it passed out on the deck of the starblaster.

Barry had to keep reassuring her that it was most likely just overheated. That silver dragons live in arctic environments and the young ones have difficulty regulating their temperature. It is malnourished and thin, but the wyrmling didn't appear to have anything broken or any open wounds on it. So that's a plus. 

Lup looks over when the door gently opens to the bathroom and gives a small smile when she sees Barry enter.  He smiles back and holds up a large book. he sits down next to Lup, grunting softly as he lowers himself, then presses himself into her side.

“Hey babe,” Lup says gently resting her head on his shoulder and glancing at the book he brought in.  He is flipping through a few dogeared pages then finally stopping on a page with the words ‘silver drakes and dragons’ scrawled across the top.

“it’s just the one page, but its better than nothing,” Barry says with a shrug., “and I don’t even know if dragons work the same in this world.”

Lup kisses his cheek gently “you're such a nerd... but I love you for it.”

Barry laughs lightly and starts to read from the book.

“Silver dragons enjoy the company of humanoids and often take the form of kindly old men or fair damsels.” Barry starts, “They cheerfully assist good creatures in genuine need, but usually avoid interfering with other creatures until their assistance is requested or until inaction would allow something evil to come to pass. They hate injustice and cruelty, though they concern themselves less with punishing or rooting out evildoers than with protecting the innocent and healing their hurts.”

He reads for a while. There is a good amount of information biology of silver dragons. As well as some general information on dragons and dragonkin that Barry goes over as well. Expected lifespans, culture, and general boilgy are just a few things that are covered.

“he’s at least a year old,” Barry says glancing over to the dragon “doesn’t have his egg tooth anymore. But doesn’t have the fin on his chin yet. So… between one and three years… if it’s the same as in the book.”

Lup hums and glances down at the dragon in her lap. Its eyes are open now, but it is still relaxed. The only thing moving are its small feathery ears as Barry speaks.

“you're awake” Lup coos softly; the dragon lifts its head and eyes Lup and Barry over. It doesn't look scared, but still somewhat wary.  It sniffs Lup’s hair then gives the book a slight nudge with its muzzle before settling again, tucking its feet under his chest.

Barry lets out a half-laugh before saying “like hearing about yourself?”

The dragon blinks and cocks its head slightly before settling in more.  Lup sees the edge of a smile on the dragon’s face as Barry starts to read again.

* * *

 

“does it need toys?” Magnus asks at the kitchen table “I have some left over from the puppy planet.”

“it’s not a dog,” Lup says pinching her eyebrow “he’s like a four-legged toddler more than an animal.”

“well not really,” Barry says “ I mean dragons work so differently than humanoids. Their minds are wired so differently, the intelligence of, a human but with the primal instincts of an animal, but also with the magic capabilities like a- I don’t know. An elemental? They're made of like fifty percent magic, and even the ‘good’ ones have such a different outlook on life than you or me. they sometimes end up hurting people while doing, what they think are friendly actions.”

“so, it’s a super powerful toddler that can fly,” Magnus says flatly.

“not yet, they gain the ability to fly when they are between like, five and ten years old; depending on the type. Though there is a good chance, it can speak, or at least understand common now.”

Magnus looks like he is about to ask another question when a crash comes from the bathroom where the dragon is. All three look at each other for a brief moment; before all taking off in the same direction. Not sure what they are going to find. 

When Barry slams the door open, they all see the dragon up and about. It is standing on the counter teeth digging into the shiny faucet, and its back scrambling for purchases. Although the dents in the chrome are not the worst thing that happened in the room. The shower curtain is torn to ribbons. The small amount of water that was once in the toilet is now spilled all over the floor and turned to a thin sheet of ice. There are scratches on the walls, and one of the light bulbs is broken, but the dragon seems to be feeling better.

While Lup takes a moment to look the room over, Barry does not as he pushes his way in quickly.  He reaches for the dragon trying to grab it before it destroys the sink. But he only gets two steps in when his feet go out from underneath him.  Barry lands on his ass and back, his feet slamming into the wall as he falls. Once he is on the ground, he stays flat for a moment.

The dragon leaps off of the counter and lands perfectly on Barry’s stomach. Barry gives a small grunt as the dragon’s tiny claws poke his belly. The dragon looks at Barry’s face and cocks his head to the side. Then in a small voice but a familiar tone “you're such a nerd.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a silly AU combining two of my favorite Angus backstories into one! thanks for reading my dumb work! the text from the book Barry is reading is from Draconomicon, a resource I used a lot for this work, and just a cool read in general.


	2. one-on-one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a few snapshots or each of the starblaster crew spending time with the small dragon, and their thoughts on their new family member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a pretty long chapter made of a bunch of mini-chapters so if you're interested and want to know the specific interactions in order we have  
> Lup, Taako, Davenport, Lucretia, Barry, Merle, Magnus.  
> this chapter is pretty light on overall plot but has all of the fluff. (to make up for the next chapter >:3c)

"do you have a name?” Lup asks she is sitting in her and Barry’s bed.  Barry is reading out loud from the book about dragons. The dragon has his head rested in Lup’s lap, and its body is between barry and Lup. It lifts its head when Lup asks the question and listens intently as she continues “you’ve been here a while, and I haven’t asked you.”

The dragon seems to think for a moment before saying in a new small voice “no…”

“That’s okay!” Lup says sitting up and running her hands over his scales “that just means you get to pick your own my dude, which is the best way to get a name!”

The dragon’s tail twitches slightly, in a way that Lup now knows that it is thinking deeply or annoyed. It stands up and walks over to Barry grabs the book out of his hands. Barry makes a slightly offended sound but doesn’t stop him.

“have any ideas?” Lup asks. Angus just walks over and places the book in her lap. He sits across from her with his brow furrowed, he looks up to her and says “about me.”

“Oh, one of the people that wrote this?” Lup asks. Angus nods, he listens to her start listing off names, most of them don’t fit. They are not regal enough, not suitable for a dragon, just don't fit. 'Joshua, Alex, Victor and Riley' are just a few of the people that worked on the book

“Roberts, Angus” she reads, a researcher for the book. The dragon perks up at this and gives a small chirp. Lup looks at him and smiles “Angus?”

* * *

Before the starblaster crew knows it, Angus has been living with them for five months, and he is growing like a weed.  He quickly outgrows the bathroom he used as a nursery (though he has been staying with Barry and Lup since the fourth night). He is now the size of a medium dog now. He has shed his skin twice since Lup found him, making room for new scales and a bigger form. Barry and Merle are pretty sure that this is normal. Angus is always hungry too. Barry says it is from both making up for lost time, and just being a growing boy, dragons his age nearly double in size every year. 

Angus has recently gained free reign of the common areas of the Starblaster. Though the crew tries to keep at least one person watching him at all times, there are moments it that he has to be left alone. Like when everyone is looking for a place to put their relics, and a few stop on their way back to pick some things up.

Taako looks at the kitchen his mouth dropped open and the groceries he carried in dropped on the floor.  Angus is laying sprawled across the floor wings outstretched, all four legs up in the air and belly extended from the food he stole. He is covered in flour and powdered sugar, his scales have ground beef stuck under them, and one of his has an empty bag of sweets from Magnus’s not-so-secret stash.

The rest of the kitchen isn’t looking much better, shattered dishes, food wrappers, and crumbs and dust cover every surface. Almost all of the cupboards and cabinets are open, some of the doors are knocked off their hinges, and the fridge door is open letting the cold air out. to put it lightly the room is trashed.

“ANGUS!” Taako screeches. Angus stands quickly and shakes off some of the food debris that is still attached to him. He looks around at the mess around him, seeming just now to realize what he has done. He looks up to Taako and gives his best puppy dog eyes “hungry…”

“no shit sherlock” Taako runs his hand through his hair “could have asked for me to make something.”

“gone,” Angus says looking down at his feet “hungry, gone”

Taako sighs and ties his hair back. He doesn't want to say anything that he will regret later, so he just keeps his mouth closed. Angus scoots back to the corner of the kitchen; he watches Taako for a bit before asking “mad?”

Taako looks over to Angus his expression changing drastically. From that, yes, of anger, to now slight worry and almost fear “no, no my little dude, just a little frustrated.”

Taako takes a deep breath gathering his thoughts “You need to help me clean up, okay, take responsibility for your actions n' all that.”

“restoponsabity?” Angus asks standing and walking over to Taako.

“yea…” Taako says, he knows he is not the right person to teach anything about responsibility.  “yea, it’s when you make a mistake then, then fix it after.”

Angus nods seeming to understand somewhat.  Taako gives a forced smile and pats Angus's head gently. His heart aching, the irony of the situation is not lost on him.

* * *

 

Davenport does not like the idea of having a dragon on board.  No matter how ‘good’ they are they do not think in the same way people do.  He dealt with one back on the homeworld, it was brass and laid claim to a mountain close to the IPRE. It sometimes thought it was funny to play chicken with the airships there. They were nice enough to talk to, but its mind was truly alien to Davenport’s logic.

 Lup and Barry left early in the morning to look for Magnus. He went to find a place to hide the Chalice nearly a week ago, and hasn't returned. None of them have come back, yet and Davenport would be lying if he wasn’t staying up waiting for them to come back.  Well, that and Angus is making a lot of noise whimpering and pacing around the ship.

It is well past midnight, and Davenport is sitting on one of the couches in the common room. A glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. Although allDavenport can concentrate on is Angus. As the wyrmling nervously walks up and down the halls of the Starblaster.  

“Angus” Davenport calls.  Angus perks up and trots over to him, chirping a greeting.

“Sir?” Angus asks he keeps his distance, not like he is afraid. He understands the davenport demands respect.

“Has Barry read this book to you yet?” Davenport raises the novel in his hand “Dancy New. A mystery novel, it is from our home. one of my favorites”

Angus shakes his head no, his demeanor changing from stress to excitement. Davenport scoots over on the couch and pats next to him. Angus smiles and lays down taking up most of the sofa, laying his head on his front feet. Davenport starts reading the book in a gentle tone. He has read this story hundred times before but likes seeing Angus's reactions. He story quickly enraptures Angus, he quickly forgets the missing people, finally relaxing for the first time since Lup and Barry left.

When Barry, Lup, and Magnus walk into the starblaster a few hours later, they all have to stop themselves from from going 'aww' at the sight before them. Davenport is asleep on the couch, his feet resting up on the coffee table. His favorite book opens on the armrest and Angus sound asleep next to him, his head resting in Davenport’s lap.

* * *

 

Lucretia is standing next to fisher’s tank practicing a few spells, nothing she isn’t already competent with, but she does not want to get rusty.  She is concentrating on Stoneskin when she hears scratching at her door. She dispels the Stoneskin and opens the door for Angus. He has been in her room a couple of times before. The first time he snuck in, but Lucretia did not care that much. He just wanted to look at Fisher, and the two seem to enjoy each other’s company well enough. Fisher hums softly when Angus enters. Angus mimics Fishers’s songs as best as he can, though most of the time he just squawks and chirps at Fisher.

 Lucretia enjoys watching them while doing her work; she has to admit that he is quite adorable. His small squeaks and squeaks, the small enate words of draconic he knows.  Lucretia is debating on teaching him the language, but she does not know it well enough to feel comfortable teaching it.

 She sits down at her desk and pulls out one of her large notebooks. Though the time Angus does not go over to Fisher’s tank, instead he walks to Lucretia and looks at her expectantly.

“what, doing?” he asks. Lucretia smiles and pats his head. He gives a small chirp and smiles.

“I am writing,” she says pulling out her quills “some of the books Barry has read to you I wrote, the ones about him and Lup.”

Angus’s eyes light up, he stands on his back legs and sets his front on the desk, to look at Lucretia’s work.  He glances at Lucretia and asks, “about me?”

“well this is about Magnus going missing the other day, but I have written about you.” She starts “when you first came, how big you were, how much you’ve grown. Whatever I feel like really.”

“write Angus is res-restmponstable?” Angus asks, struggling to say the right words.

Lucretia laughs slightly “do you want me to write that down for you? That you're reasonable?”

Angus lights up and nods. Lucretia flips to the pages where she wrote about Angus before. Where she left some room if she found out some more things about him, his approximate age, the day Lup and Barry found him and how big he was when they found him. He watches intently as she writes down 'Angus is surprisingly responsive for a dragon of his age, Taako told me that he helped clean up after an incident.’ She reads as she writes, Keeping Angus in the corner of her eye.

“you write Angus is smart?” Angus asks. Lucretia smiles and starts writing down that yes Angus is surprisingly bright. How he is picking language up quickly and How he shows great interest in books and learning.

For the next hour or so, Lucretia writes things down for Angus. Things that he likes about himself and things that make him not just a silver dragon. She loves listening to him, his self-confidence and how he views himself, outside of his draconic heritage.

"Angus is responsible, Angus is smart, Angus is a fast learner, Angus wants to be like Dancy New, and Angus is loved." Are just a few things Lucretia writes in her book for Angus. She loves watching his expressions change as she reads and writes. she knows Everything she writes is true, Angus never lies or extends the truth as he lists off what is great about him.

* * *

“do you want to learn how to read bud?” Barry asks out on the deck of the Starblaster. He is sitting on the built-in picnic table. Angus perks up from his afternoon nap looking over to barry. He stretches and walks over.

“teach?” Angus asks, “teach me how to read?”

“sure bud, I figure you like it so much, you might want to do it yourself.”

Angus nods and smiles brightly. His eyes are bright but still slightly sleepy from his afternoon nap.

“Okay, so you see this shape?” Barry points to a letter A “this makes the sound at the front of apple.”

Angus looks at the page where Barry is pointing. He gets this look on his face of slight confusion, but not in the way that he is figuring something out. Instead, he is squinting to the point that his eyes are almost closed. Angus bobs his head forward and backward in a motion Barry is very familiar with. It is the same motion he does when he goes to a restaurant with menus with too fine of text, or when he wakes up first thing in the morning and is trying to look at his alarm clock.

He gives Angus a moment before sighing and setting the book down. Angus makes a slight sound of disappointment, but barry stops him before he can complain.

“hay Angus,” Barry asks “let me try something.”

Barry takes off his glasses, then holds them in front of Angus. “they’re probably the wrong prescription, but we can figure that out later.”

Angus looks to Barry slightly confused, then his eyes open wider and his mouth opens slightly. Barry can’t help but let out a huff of a laugh “yea I remember the first time I tried glasses.”

* * *

Merle doesn’t know how he feels about Angus. He likes how he is making everyone else happy.  he is so much like a person-child, which everyone reminds him he basically is. But a child that can kill all of his plants with a single breath is not something to be trusted.

Not that Angus tried to hurt merle’s plants. It's just that Angus isn’t exactly in control of his frosty powers right now, and Merle has woken up to frost-covered common room more than once. Merle has a hundred different worlds of flora locked in his room all of which are delicate. If Angus were to walk in and change the tempter slightly could enough to kill all of them.

So, when he finds Angus sitting on his bed with Barry next to him, he grits his teeth. Although, the way Barry abruptly stands with Angus trailing behind, he thinks better of it.  They don’t look like they are injured when they walk up, but Merle has been doing this long enough to know that injuries don’t always show up on the outside.

“what can I do for ya?” Merle asks, with his usual nonchalance.

“Angus needs glasses,” Barry says. Merle just looks at the two of them, he has never heard of dragons having less the perfect eyesight, but then again.  Angus was malnourished when for so long, that could have done something to his young eyes.

Merle hums and scratches his hair. “well what are you doing in my room for this? Go down to the infirmary, and I’ll pull my eye shit out.”

“t-thanks, he just wants to learn how to read, and he can't-“ Barry starts, but merle cuts him off before he can start rambling too much “yea, yea just get out of my room before I make ya.”

 _A dragon wearing glasses could be cute_ , Merle thinks as he starts grabbing supplies.

* * *

“ can you fly yet?” Magnus asks, he is standing out in the grass watching Angus run around happily. He is currently in charge of watching Angus, the others saying that they struggle to keep up with him when he gets random spikes of energy.  angus is running laps full speed around the starblaster, laughing wildly.

When Magnus shouts this over towards Angus, he stops dead in his tracks and looks over, slightly confused.

“fly?” Angus asks.

“yea you know, spread your wings and fly!” Magnus says flapping his arms wildly. Agnus looks at his wings, still confused about this whole situation. He knows he has the extra limbs but has never really used them beyond getting at different scratches on his body. They are small and frail, but the muscles are still there, and he knows he could use them.

Magnus stretches out his arms wide, and Angus mimics him with his wings spreading them to their full eight-foot span.  Magnus whistles when he sees how big Angus can be if he wants to.  Magnus flaps his arms a couple of times, and Angus mimics him again.

 Angus feels a strange rush just after a couple of flaps. It is exhilarating for no apparent reason; it just feels right. He can almost see it in his mind, flying above the clouds and finding a layer to call his own. The chill of mountains, and the thin air around him.

Magnus has stopped flapping his won arms and is now just watching Angus standing on his back legs trying his hardest to get up off of the ground. He stops after a moment and looks at his wings,  disappointed and frustrated.

“its okay little guy,” Magnus says sympathetically “maybe you're just too young still.”

Angus for lack of a better term walks over to Magnus and pouts.  Magnus smiles softly and runs his hands over Angus’s scales and scratches behind his horns.  Angus leans into the man's leg and lets out a frustrated sigh. Magnus feels something in his heart but is not quite sure what it is.


	3. A Proposition

Lup, Barry, and Angus are sitting under a tree outside the Starblaster, enjoying the early fall chill.  Lup is reading through one of her spell books and running her hand through Barry’s hair. While Angus runs around, chasing anything that moves. Including but not limited to: squirrels, fallen leaves, and his own shadow.  He is laughing and jumping around, Lup watches him fondly but is also chewing on her lip, her mind going a thousand miles a minute.

“hay Angus” she calls over. He stops running and looks over to her and trots over. Once he gets close, she asks “I-I have an idea, but you need to tell me if you want to do this.”

Barry stiffens slightly and sits up. He is familiar with the tone Lup is using. It is the same tone she used when she thought it would be a good idea to become a lich. It is the same tone she used when she asked him to marry her.  She makes eye contact with Barry for just a second before taking a deep breath.

“do- do you want to become a person?”  Lup asks “like Barry and me- or anyone else really, whatever you want.”

Angus blinks for a moment “A person? Not... a dragon?”

“yes, an elf or human or whatever you’d like.” Lup says almost too quick to understand “there is a spell I found, and I can make you a person more or less permanently. I know being a dragon is cool and all, but-“

Lup takes a sharp breath in and looks away. She knows it is selfish to take the whole ‘being a dragon’ thing away from Angus. She really just wants him to be happy, and all she can think about is the lonely separated lives dragons have. Even the ones who ingrain into human or elf societies are so different from people, they cannot really be a part of them. Dragons need other dragons, especially silvers, and she has no idea where to find others.  

Angus has no idea how to be a dragon, what if he stumbles across another dragon’s layer, he won’t know the best way to escape without being killed. What about people? They even with good-oriented dragons, people are dumb and might attack them.  It may actually be safer for him to be a person since he is being raised by people right?

That and if Lup were to tell the truth, she wants to make a family, her Barry, and Angus. Again, she knows it is selfish. That it isn’t a decision for her to make, but if they are really going to be a part of this world for the rest of her life? If the relic plan actually works? then she can finally rest, maybe start laying down some roots.

She loves Angus, not in the same way like Barry or Taako. Definitely not like a pet, but with her whole heart. In an incredible way that feels like sticky taffy that makes her teeth hurt if she thinks about it too long. In a way that makes her miss him even if he is lying next to her.

“yes, I’d like that” Angus says simply, breaking Lup out of her spiraling thoughts. She feels her heart catch in her throat when she hears him say that.  He feels him press his body against her side and his cool breath as he speaks “like you?”

“only if you really want it bud,” Barry says, “and if this is the spell I think it is, there are ways to reverse it if you want to change back.”

Angus sits up and nods vigorously “like both of you? I want to be like both of you.”

“yes, uh… we can do that.” Barry says, he when Lup looks over to him, she can see the blush that has spread over his face. He takes his glasses off and rubs his eyes. Lup smiles and runs her hand over his shoulder, and he smiles back at her.

* * *

 

Angus is sitting on the deck of the Starblaster a huge smile spread across his face. His tail is lashing from side to side as he cannot hold in his excitement. He is looking around the at all of the people around him.  Lup Barry and Taako are all readying the spell, while the rest watch. The tension in the air feels like you can cut it with a knife, but everyone is also excited it is a strange mix of the two.

Lup takes a deep breath; she has all of the spell components out in front of her, ready to go. Barry is kneeling next to Angus. He is twitchy his eyes full of anxiety, but he is also forcing a smile, witch Angus isn’t sure makes him feel better or not.

Barry holds Angus’s face in his hands getting the little dragon’s attention before addressing him “okay tell me anything hurts, just- if anything feels wrong. Let me know okay? But it is going to feel weird, but don’t fight it okay, just let it happen.”

Angus nods cutting Barry off before he can start rambling even more “it’s okay… I know you can do it.”

Barry falters for a moment, then glances up to Lup. He gives a nod to the twins and Lup starts the spell.  She extends her hands, and a pale white light extends from her hands and wraps around Angus.

Angus feels his body change. It isn’t painful per say Just a vaguely uncomfortable. The closest feeling to it is stretching the first thing in the morning. While his whole body changes legs face and tail, all shorten and lighten. Although the weirdest thing is his wings,  it is not like they go numb, they are just not there anymore. The muscles and skin attaching them to his body are not there either. He knows what they fealty like, but it is also trying to remember what a sneeze feels like, you can’t quite recall the feeling in full.

It is just a few brief moments, but then his body stops changing. He looks down at his hands then at his feet when he realizes he has no idea how to stand on two legs, thankfully Barry is there to catch him as he starts to lose balance.  He hears cheering from the other people, but it is different. The is world looks different as well.  It is not like when he got his glasses (which thankfully still work though much too large for him now) there are just not as many things to see now. The red flicker that was always around Barry and Lup is no longer there, Barry told him that this might happen, but it is still disorientating.

“damn, he looks like your kid,” Merle says before anyone else.

“that’s probably what they were going for doofus,” Taako says with a shrug.

“I don’t see it,” Magnus says in a half-joking tone.

They all start talking and arguing amongst themselves. Angus digs his head into Barry’s shoulder and whimpers slightly.  It’s all almost too much.

“Are you okay Angus?” Barry asks worriedly “ do-do you want me to change you back?”

Angus shakes his head and makes a ‘no’ sound. He doesn’t know why he is crying, he has never felt tears before, but it does feel good at the same time. Barry’s firm embrace is comforting as well, his strong arms wrapped around him, and the warmth of his breath on his shoulder. He feels so small, he is so small, it is so different. Skin instead of scales, he feels the cold metal of the ship under his feet, the muted smells, colors, and sounds filtering in, even though it is less, it still feels like so much more.

Lup walks over and wraps her arms around him as well. Angus knows there are more people on the deck, but for him at this moment, there are only three people in the entire world.

Angus pushes away after a moment. He looks at Barry and Lup, they are both crying, and he isn’t sure exactly why. But they are there, he runs one of his chubby hands along each of their faces, rubbing away their tears. Lup takes his left hand gently, and Angus rubs his eyes with his right while giving a big yawn.  Barry gives a slight laugh before saying to everyone “I think it might be naptime after that… it was kind of a lot for everyone.”

The small crowd quiets and gives congratulations that feel slightly out of place but are still nice nonetheless. It isn’t like Angus wasn’t there before, he is still the same kid, with lopsided glasses, he just looks different, and can’t shoot ice out of his mouth.  But they are treating him like a newborn.  He tries to take a step, nearly falls, thankfully Barry still has a hand on him, so before he can hit the ground, Barry stabilizes him. Angus looks at his feet frustrated then over to Barry and pouts. Barry huffs out a laugh before lifting Angus to his chest.

Barry carries Angus the bedroom Lup following not too far behind.  Angus’s mind is going a thousand miles a minute, it is all so much to take in. He looks at his hands they are much smaller than Lup’s Barry’s and even smaller the Davenport. They’re also soft and smooth, the fingernails short and blunt. The skin is close to Lup’s in tone, a rich brown.

Barry brings him to the bathroom and set him on the counter. Angus looks in the mirror and sees himself.  He looks like a little kid, the same age as he was in his dragon form, maybe three years old or so, but now as a humanoid.  He sees that he isn’t entirely human, his features slightly too sharp even for a kid his age, but the big giveaway is his ears. Not as long as Lup’s but they still flick and flip like hers.  He runs his fingers over the mop of hair covering his head, it’s kind of long, but he likes the tight curls that Lup tuck behind his hears. Really the only thing that has stayed the same are his eyes, icy blue, though he guesses he could have just gotten them from Barry.

Barry comes back into the bathroom old t-shirt in hand. Helps Angus into it, the shirt is way too big, but it is worn and soft against Angus's skin. It has the IPRE logo on the front, along with a couple of stains, but it does the trick.

Even though it is only late afternoon, Angus is exhausted. Lup caries him over to the bed and sets him down his usual place. Although now he takes up a lot less space. The bed dips as Barry and Lup both crawl into it with Angus. Barry is holding a book in his hands and asks if Angus wants to read it.  Angus smiles but shakes his head no, not right now.  He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

“Barry, Lup?” Angus starts His voice is too small, it cracks when he tries to speak. Lup hums and Barry runs his hand over Angus’s shoulder to let him know that they’re listening “are you, my mom and dad, now? Is-is that okay?”

Angus can only see Lup right now, but he feels Barry press his face into his back.  Lup pulls Angus close to her chest as she whole body shakes.  He is slightly afraid he said the wrong thing for a moment before Lup speaks up again.

“if that’s what you want” Lup gets out between choked-off sobs. “do you want us to be your parents?”

“yea, I’d like that” Angus says his eyes finally giving out from the exhaustion of the day “I’d like that lots.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is just another fluffy chapter, nothing can go wrong from here right! >:3c


	4. ...

back soon-


	5. [static]

The Starblaster has been so quiet for the past month. The only time there seems to be any noise is when someone is yelling.

 Angus stays to his room more than anywhere else now. He has been a person for three months now, and Mom has been missing for about half of that time. Dad has been distant since she left, both literally and figuratively. Angus can see that his dad feels guilty; whenever he looks at him, there is pity in his eyes. Dad still teaches him whenever he is home, and When he is gone usually uncle Taako or Lucrecia pick up where he left off.  There is some kind of unspoken understanding, though Angus wishes someone would speak up.

It was so nice for a time. Angus moved into the room that was Lup’s before she moved in with Barry.  It was just being used for extra storage until they changed it back to a bedroom.  It is pretty sparsely decorated, but it is starting to acquire some of Angus's personality.  There are a few toys, some handmade by the Seven, some bought; teddy bears and carved wooden figures, Merle sewed him a plush of fisher that sleeps with Angus. Taako gave Angus a lot of his cheaper jewelry when he caught Angus going through his things. Most of that lay in a pile under the be along with some children’s books and a few of Angus's favorite toys. 

Angus is sitting on the floor of his room now, less playing with more just fidgeting, with a wooden toy.  He is listening to the argument outside his door, trying to catch any new information he can. One thing he has learned over the past few months is that adults think that kids go deaf as soon as there is a closed door between them. They say things that they would never say with a kid in their eyesight. Angus knows its rude, but it is one of the few ways that he gets truthful answers from the adults anymore.

“If she was okay she would be back by now!” Dad yells.

“I'm not arguing with you Barrold” Taako yells back, his voice cracking “I’m just saying maybe we should try some more civilized areas!”

“well, she is either hiding or trapped, because if she was dead, she could still come back!  And someone would have seen her if she was in a city.”

Angus has stopped playing entirely. He is trying to fight back tears and can’t drown out the argument by covering his ears. Even when he doesn’t want to hear it, he still can.  He sniffles, and for a moment he feels alone his heart aching so much it feels like it is going to fall out of his chest, but there is a knock at the door distracting him from the ache. He doesn’t say anything as it cracks open.

Magnus stands in the doorway, he is looking at the wall as he enters giving Angus time to wipe away his growing tears.  Magnus looks over and smiles brightly before saying “do you want to help me with a project? I can put on some music, and you can help me paint.”

Angus makes a half-sniffle before nodding and standing up. He doesn’t feel like talking right now; so, he just walks over to Magnus. Magnus smiles and starts whistling as they walk away from the kitchen and toward his room. 

Magnus’s room looks a lot like Mom’s or Dad’s, it is more or the same shape, but slightly smaller.  The majority of the room is used as a workshop, with a large sturdy table sitting in the middle of it with a chair on either side.  There are large bookshelves filled with half-finished projects and tools that Angus does not know the names of.  There are a lot of weapons in here as well, mostly trophies, some functional, but all of them from different worlds and cultures. The only thing showing that this room is anything besides a workshop is the bed, and small trunk pushed to the corner. Both of which are covered with a sheet to keep from getting dust on them. 

Magnus picks Angus up under his arms and sets him on the large table. Angus looks around the room trying to not think too hard about anything. He can still hear the argument outside, but they are further away now, and Magnus quickly turns on some music, drowning it out furhter. He knows Magnus put on the music to keep him from hearing the argument, but he is thankful nonetheless.

Angus watches Magnus pull out different bottles of paint and his handfuls of paintbrushes. Magnus is not a clean person in the slightest but, but it does look like he knows where everything is at least.  They both hum along with the music music, distracting themselves with the small actions. 

“so, I made something for Luc’” Magnus starts. He has an unpainted duck in his hands. He shifts so Angus can see it, before continuing “and I could really use some help painting it.”

Angus listens to Magnus talk about different ways they can paint his newest duck (rainbow, make it look like a different animal, make it look like a duck but silly).  They talk for a few minutes, and Angus has almost forgotten when a door slams shut, sending a boom through the Starblaster. It sounds like came from right across the hall, though it was so loud it wouldn’t be suppressing if there was some magic involved.

 Angus goes rigid at the loud noise. It had to have been uncle Taako. Everyone is so upset all of the time.  Uncle Taako and Dad are always arguing. Captain Davenport hasn’t slept in almost a week. Merle and Magnus are both smiling less, and Mom is gone. and she might never come back, no one wants to say it, but everyone is thinking it. 

“I want my mom,” Angus says almost too quiet for himself to hear.  Magnus turns when he hears the first sniffle.

“Hey bud,” Magnum says as softly as he can muster. He kneels in front of Angus and runs his thumbs along Angus’s tiny hands. “do you want to talk about it?”

Angus looks up to Magnus and his sad smile, and he cant keep it in anymre. Angus starts sobbing falling forward into Magnus’s chest. Magnus wraps his arms around him,  completely encompassing him.

 Angus doesn’t know what he is saying though broken sobs and hiccups. All he can think is that he misses Lup so much. That he wants his Barry to be his dad again, and for everyone just to be happy again.  He just wants things to be like how it was before.

Magnus lets him cry and wail into his shirt.  He rubs small circles into his back, Magnus hums slightly letting Angus know he is there for him.  It takes some time, but Angus finally cries himself out, wails turning into sobs, into whimpers, then to sniffles. But eventually, He pushes away from Magnus’s grasp rubbing his nose and eyes with his sleeves.

“feel better my dude,” Magnus asks tussling Angus’s curly hair. Angus sniffles and nods giving a small smile.

“nothing better than a good cry,” Magnus says smiling gentry. He stands and makes an exaggerated face at the snot stains on his shirt. Angus giggle as Magnus says with fake exasperation “now who got boogers on my perfectly clean shirt.”

Angus continues to giggle and rub away his remaining tears. Magus opens a cupboard and grabs a clean shirt while Angus picks up the carved duck. He looks over the intricately carved item, then it hits him “we should paint it to look like her. I-I’d think she’d like that.”

* * *

It is a few hours later, probably passed Angus's bedtime, but he is sitting at the kitchen island. He has one of his new books out in front of him, the cover is an illustration of a toddler in a detective’s uniform, holding a magnifying glass, and looking at a binky. At the top of the cover are is the title “Caleb Cleveland, Kid Cop: The Kindergarten Crusades,.”

 It is one of his favorite books, behind the ones Lucretia has written, and maybe some of the Dancy New books Davenport reads to him.  Though he can read this one himself, it is mostly pictures, but dad has read it to him enough times, he knows how the words go. So he can basically read it himself.

“hay, Ango’” Taako speaks up when entering the kitchen. “you know were Barrold went?”

“up on deck,” Angus says not even looking up from his book. He doesn't need to look up to know why Taako is looking for his dad. He is going to apologize as much as Taako does, A.K.A go and talk to that person and not bring up the argument in the slightest.

Taako hums then runs his fingers through Angus’s hair before heading up to the deck. He hears to large door to the deck open and close, then nothing besides the quiet conversations of Davenport and merle in the common room.  They are talking about things that Angus doesn’t care about all that much, so he concentrates on his book.

“hay Angus’ want to give the duck to Lucretia with me?” Magnus calls from down the hall. Angus just holds the book up over his shoulder, showing Magnus what he is doing.  Magnus replies with a fake offended tone “oh I see you have something better to do! Fine I can do it myself.”

Angus goes back to reading, he can feel his eyelids starting to get heavy, but he knows he is just getting to the good part. He turns the page to where the crook is revealed to the teacher all along. That’s when the yelling starts.

At first, he hears a man’s voice, but he can’t remember who it voice belongs to. It isn’t that far away, but it is pretty muffled. Half of the words don’t make any sense, it’s like he hears them, but he doesn't connect the meaning to them. Then there is yelling above him? How did people get up there? Then there a woman’s voice, loud and concerned.

Then there is an explosion, loud enough that Angus feels it in his chest. He covers his ears and looks over just in time to see something fall past a window. _How did I get into the sky?_  

The yelling is starting to die down some, or maybe it just isn’t coming in as yelling anymore. Angus doesn't know how he ends up under the table, clutching his book to his chest for dear life, but all he can do is look at his hands and look off into space. His hands aren’t his, he doesn’t remember what they are supposed to look like, but these are defiantly not the ones he was born with.

He is so afraid, he wants to cry out, but he doesn’t know who to call.  He can’t remember any names, he can’t remember any faces. Nothing not even his own comes to him. He doesn’t cry, he doesn’t whimper or shout, he only curls into himself and shakes. He is so afraid, he needs someone, something, but they are all gone. In every aspect of his mind, he has no one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this chapter took longer to come out. i had it mostly finished then lost all my work, had to take a bit of a break after that.


	6. Fast Forward

Angus knows a few things about himself: he is responsible, he is smart, he learns quickly, he wants to be like Caleb Cleveland, and there is a lot of things he does not know about himself. He does not know where he came from, he has spent most of his life in an orphanage in Neverwinter. “The McDonald Institution for Lost Children,” is what he called home for the past ten years. Most people assume he is around twelve years old, but it is hard to tell with his obvious elven ancestry. Sometimes it feels like what he doesn’t know about himself out ways what he does know.

The large estate that the orphanage is located on is not like the orphanages in his books. Compared to the places described in his stories, dank and dark where the children do not get fed, the McDonald Institution is actually quite nice.  Sure, he has to share a room with a half-dozen other boys, but he gets fed, has clean clothes, and the adults are kind. He actually prefers the company of some of the adults rather than his peers, especially Grandpa.

Grandpa is an old human, he is tall, but walks hunched over with a cane in his hand. He has a bright, kind smile, and his voice is soft and kind.  He smells of the leather-bound books he surrounds himself with and the pipe Tabaco he smokes every evening.

 Everyone gives Grandpa a great deal of respect, and he enjoys spending time with the children.  Angus is not sure what Grandpa did before he made his great estate an orphanage, he assumes some kind of adventurer or entrepreneur, because of how expensive the estate is.  While grandpa no longer runs the estate pre se, he still lives on the grounds and spends all of his free time with the children.

Angus likes staying with Grandpa because the old man is quiet and listens to him.  Grandpa also lets him stay in her private office and read from his personal library. Angus does not know how much time he has spent in Grandpa’s library over the years, but he does know that he has read nearly every sheet of paper in there. He has read novels and academic documents, old records that even grandpa does not remember who they belong to, and he reads his file.

                        **Name** : Angus                          **age:** approx. 2 years old

                        **Race:** half-elf (?)                     **Day received:**

 **Hight:** 25.6” **weight:** 25.7 lbs

 **Eyes:** blue **Hair:** brown

                        **Magickly adapt:** unknown

 **Caregiver description:** N/A

Angus does know what to make of his file.  Sure, he wasn’t expecting to have some sort of breakthrough with it, but he did expect a little more than just things he already knows about himself. Really the only thing that seems strange is that the day he was received is blank.  Along with the parent description being blank even though he knows he was dropped off, grandpa told him stories about the kind woman that came with a small child. Though when Angus asks grandpa cannot remember what the woman looked like, or even what they talked about.

 

One day not too long after Angus stars looking into his own history, he accidentally grabs one of the other children’s files.

Angus knows it is wrong to look at the other children’s history, but when he glanced through it and the blatant discrepancies in the file. The file belonged to a girl named Anabelle, he knows her vaguely. She is just a toddler so he has no reason to interact with her, but he can place her when he reads her description.

 **Name** : Annabelle                   **age:**  less than two years old

                        **Race:** Tiefling (variant)           **day received:** 27 hammer

 **Hight:** 30” **weight:** 22.3 lbs

 **Eyes:** green (solid **)                  Hair:** black

                        **Magickly adapt:** variant-Tiefling, innate magic

Anabelle is not the only Tiefling on the estate, so it isn’t that that catches Angus’s eye. The caregiver’s description is that of a human man. Not that Tieflings and humans cannot have children together, it is just that the genes needed for variant traits are only found in full-blooded Tieflings. It just didn’t settle right with angus when he read it.

“grandpa?” Angus says holding Annabel’s file in his hands. He knows he will most likely get into trouble by doing this, but he also knows that Annabelle does not belong here. “I think someone stole Annabelle.”

Grandpa looks at Angus for a long moment, processing what he just said before asking “and why do you think this?”

“well,” Angus stars, he places the file on Grandpa’s desk and points to one of the paragraphs “you see, the man that brought her in said that he was her father, but Annabelle is a full-blooded Tiefling. She shows variant traits that need both parents to have demonic blood for the child to have the traits.”  
            “and what traits are these” Grandpa says, his voice a mixture of concern and annoyance.

“she has wings, sir,” Angus says simply “in some of the papers I read, it said that wings are a recessive trait, and if one of her parents is not a Tiefling it is literally impossible for her to have wings.”

Grandpa leans back in his chair and interlaces his fingers. He glances over at Angus and sighs “I will look into this. Thank you for bringing this to my attention Angus, but you can’t go through other children’s files, it isn’t just wrong, it's against the law for you to see their documents. I won't tell anyone you did it but you will have to go a week without privileges, do you understand why?”

“yes sir,” Angus says, feeling conflicted inside “as long as we find the truth, I do not care what happens to me”

Grandpa smiles fondly. Angus watches him leave, his guts still twisting.

It takes a few a few days of investigation, but without much work, the detective grandpa hires find the man that called himself Annabel’s father.  With little pressure, the man confesses to kidnaping Annabelle, from his best friend. Angus does not know why the man kidnaped Annabelle, but when he finds out that her actual parents are still looking for her he knows that is all that matters.

Angus is reading outside when a man, a Tiefling, walks up the road to the estate. Grandpa is keeping pace with the man and Angus even from this far away he can tell Grandpa is upset.  Angus stands and meets the two of them as they walk.

“Hello sirs,” Angus says with a smile. He reaches out a hand and introduces himself to the newcomer “Hello, I’m Angus it is nice to meet you.”

The stranger smiles brightly and takes Angus’s hand in his own “are you the same Angus that found my little girl, Lucy? Uh, you would know her as Annabelle.”

Angus blinks for a moment before quickly placing the man’s smile. “y-yes? I- helped. Is there anything I can do for you now?”

“well yes,” the man states, Grandpa looks deeply uncomfortable as the man speaks “I am the head of the Rockport Militia, and I was wondering if you would like a job?”

Angus was nine when he got his first job. Now he is eleven, almost twelve, and he is standing in his new boss’s office. She is looking down at him from the pedestal her large ornate desk sits on. He noticed that expression wavered when he first entered, but the rest of the time she has remained stoic.  She speaks clearly and with confidence as she addresses Angus, but not in a demeaning way which is a nice change.

Angus feels a burning excitement, but he also feels nervous enough to though up.  The Director explains to him the role he will have at the Bureau of Balance; what his responsibilities will be and what will be expected of him at any given time. She walks around her office as she speaks, obviously trying to burn some sort of nervous energy, though Angus has no idea why she should be nervous right now.

“I will show you through the base,” the director says “you will get a map, and you can always ask any of the guards if you get lost. It is quite easy to get lost here, everyone does it a few times”

The director leads Agnus though the different corridors of the large moon base. She was right when she said it is quite the maze, but Angus feels at least somewhat confident as they make their way through the different halls.  The Director points out important places as they walk; the canteen, training rooms, and the library are just a few places she points out.

Angus takes everything in as much as he can.  He listens to the distant conversations of the people they pass, and the sound of the Director’s shoes and staff click on the floor. The whole base smells faintly of ozone and cleaning chemicals but is not unpleasant.  The harsh overhead lighting hurts his eyes slightly if he looks at it for too long, but not enough that he feels the need to bring it up.

Angus nearly runs into the director stops suddenly.  They are in dormitories now, standing in front of one of the doors. It is unassuming, identical to any of the rest except for the unique number hanging on the front.

“and this is where you will be staying” The Director explains gesturing to the door “it is a bit small, but I would prefer you to have a room to yourself.”

Part of Angus wanted to protest at first. To say that he shouldn’t get preferred treatment just because of his age. Though the thought of having a space to himself even if it small gives him a second thought. As far as he can remember he’s never had a room to himself.

He smiles and thanks to the director graciously. Her mask breaks for a moment and she smiles warmly at him.  She tells him that she needs to go back to work and that she needs him to come back to her office before too long.

Angus pushes inside his new room as the Director heads down the hallway. The place feels more like a converted broom closet, then a full bedroom.  There are no windows, so Angus knows it is located somewhere on the inside of the base, the floors walls and ceiling are all just plates of metal. There is only enough room for a bed, small desk, and a chest. There is another room connected to the bedroom, which Angus assumes correctly is a bathroom. It isn’t uncomfortable exactly, just small, but it is his own space in his new home, and he can’t complain because of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, it took so long to get this chapter out. I have no excuses besides I just didn't feel like writing. The next chapter I was looking forward to it (hopefully) won't take as long to get out.


End file.
